Collapsible shipping pallet



April 2, 1968 H. R. WAGNER COLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING PALLET Filed 001:. 25,1966 g Y L E- INVEN OR.

fray/11.506?

United States Patent ()fiice 3,375,793 Patented Apr. 2 1968 3,375,793COLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING PALLET Hampton Rich Wagner, Midland, Mich.,assignor to Bay- Wood Industries, Inc., Bay City, Mich., a corporationof Michigan Filed Oct. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 589,418 Claims. (Cl. 108-56)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shipping pallet which is conveniently madefrom plywood or the like and is utilized for transporting automotiveengines or other heavy objects. The object to be shipped rests on a pairof vertical walls having projections fitted in solts of a deck. Bracessupport the vertical walls and have projections fitted inopenings ofboth the vertical walls and the deck. The deck has twice as many slotsand openings as are needed for any given usage, but the arrangement ofthese slots and openings is such that four different spacings betweenthe walls may be achieved for the shipment of four diiferent sizeobjects.

i This invention relates to shipping pallets and particularly to ashipping pallet for relatively heavy'manufactured products such asvehicle engines or the like.

"It is an object of the present invention to provide a shi ping palletwhich is of inexpensive yet rugged construc tion, which may bereadilydisassembled for storage and shipment, which is somewhat flexiblefor the absorption of impact and jars without breaking or damaging thepallet itself or the object being supported on the pallet which is of'relativelylight weight and which may be either disposed of or reused asdesired. It is another object of the present invention to provide ashipping pallet of the above character which is operable to receive andsupport engines or the like of varying size and wherein it is onlynecessary to assemble the several parts'of the pallet in a slightlymodified fashion in order to accommodate different size objects to beshipped.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a'perspective view of a shipping pallet made according tothe present invention, with an automobile engine shown supported on' theshipping pallet;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view on a reduced scale of theshipping pallet illustrated in'FIGURES 1 and 2; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a portion of the structure illustrated inFIGURES 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 illustrates an automobile enginesupported on the shipping pallet of the present invention. The shippingpallet itself comprises a platform or deck 12 which is desirably madefrom plywood. The deck 12 rests on a plurality of parallel stringers '14which may, for example, comprise 2 x 4 lengths of lumber set onedge. Thestringers 14 extend transversely of the deck 12 and serve to facilitatethe handling of the pallet with a fork lift truck. The stringers may beomitted, however, depending on the use of the pallet. Stringers are, ofcourse, positioned on the underside of the deck 12 and'are held inassembly with the deck 12 by nails 16 or the like. The deck 12 serves tosupport a pair of upright saddles or walls 18. The walls 18 aredesirably made from plywood and are positioned parallel to one anotherand perpendicular to the deck 12 with their lower edges resting on theupper surface of the deck 12. Pivotal movement of the walls 18 away fromone another is prevented by a plurality of braces 20. It

will be seen that two braces 20' are associated with each of the walls18.

The engine 10 has a laterally extending flange 22 which projects fromeach side thereof at the juncture of the oil pan 24 of the engine 10with the engine block 26. The flange 22 rests on upper edges 28 of thewalls 18, and in this position the oil pan 24 will lie between the wallsin closely spaced relatioinship thereto. Accordingly, the oil pan 24serves to prevent pivotal movement of the walls 18 toward one another.Upward movement of the walls 18 away from the deck is restrained by theweight of the engine 10 itself which is held down on the walls 18 by apair of banding straps 30 which pass over the top of the engine, aroundside edges 32 of the deck 12 and beneath the deck 12.

The present invention particularly concerns itself with the provision ofvarious projections and openings on and in the deck 12, the walls 18 andbraces 20 which may be selectively interfitted to position and supportthe walls 18 in locations to accommodate engines 10 of varying width.Each of the walls 18 will be seen to have a depending projection 34extending from a lower edge 36 thereof. The lower edge 36 is parallel tothe upper edge 28 of thewall 18 and rests on the upper surface of thedeck 12. The projection 34 is of a vertical dimension approximatelyequal to the thickness of the material of the deck 12. The projection 34is located generally at the midlength of the wall 18 and is ofsubstantial length. The projection 34 of each wall 18 is adapted to bereceived within one of four different slots 38, 40, 42 and 44 formed inthe deck 12 and extending entirely therethrough. The slots 38 to 44 arelocated generally at the midlength of the deck 12 and are disposed abovethe central one of the stringers 14. Accordingly, the lower edge of theprojection 34 will rest on the center stringer 14 at the same time thatthe lower edges 36 of the walls 18 rest on the upper surface of the deck12. The slots 38 and 40 lie on one side of a centerline passing down thelength of the deck 12, while the slots 42 and 44 lie on the other sideof such a center line. Accordingly, the slots 38, 40 may be regarded asbeing paired while the slots 42 and 44 may be regarded as being paired.It will be noted, however, the spacing between the two slots 38 and 40is less than the spacing between the slots 42 and 44, although all ofsaid slots are disposed parallel to one another. Furthermore, the widthand length of each of the slots 38, 40, 42 and 44 are such as toconformably receive the projections 34 of one of the walls 18. By theselective positioning of the walls 18 "in the slots 38, 40, 42 and 44,the pallet of the present invention may be assembled to accommodate fourdiflerent size engines.

Assume, for example, that the spacing between the slots 40 and 42 is 8inches, that the spacing between the centers of the slots 38 and 40 is 1inch and the distance between the centers of the slots 42 and 44 is 2inches. Such a pallet can be assembled so that the spacing between thewalls 18 is 8, 9, 10 or 11 inches. If the walls 18 are placed in theslots 40 and 42, the spacing therebetween will be 8 inches; if the walls18- are placed in slots 38 and 42, the spacing therebetween will be 9inches; if the walls 18 are placed in the slots 40 and 44, the spacingtherebetween will be 10 inches; and if the walls 18 are placed in theslots 38 and 44, the spacing therebetween will be 11 inches.

The walls 18 and deck 12 are both provided with a plurality of circularopenings therethrough. The various openingsin the walls 18 are for thereception of projections 46 provided on the braces 20, while thecircular openings of the deck 12 are for the reception of projections 48formed on the braces 20. The braces 20 may be made from relatively thickplywood and are of generally triangular configuration. Each brace 20 hasa vertical wall or edge 50 adapted to abut one face of the wall 18 whichit supports and a lower wall or edge 52 adapted to rest on the uppersurface of the deck 12. The projection 46 extends from the middle of theedge 50 while the projection 48 extends from the middle of the edge 52.The edges 50 and 48 are, of course, perpendicular to one another. Eachwall 18 has a first pair of openings 54 therein arranged adjacent itsopposite sides and a second pair of openings 56 which are located justinwardly of the openings 54. The openings 54 and 56 are adapted toconformably receive the projections 46 of the braces 20.

The deck 12 has a first pair of openings 58 which are spaced apart onopposite sides of the center stringer 14, a distance equal to thespacing between the openings 56 of the wall 18. The Openings 58 are alsospaced laterally from the slot 38 a distance equal to the spacing of theprojection 48 from the wall 50 of each brace 20. Accordingly, when awall 18 is positioned with its projections 34 in the slot 38, theopenings 56 of such wall will be aligned with the openings 58 for thereception of a pair of braces 20 with the projections 46 thereofpositioned in the openings 56 of the wall 18 and with the projections 48thereof positioned in the openings 58 of the deck 12.

The deck 12 also has a pair of openings 60 which are spaced apart adistance equal to the spacing between the openings 54 of the walls 18.The openings 60 are spaced from a plane including the nearest side ofthe slot 40 at a distance equal to the spacing of the projection 48 fromthe wall 50 of a brace 20. Accordingly, when a wall 18 is positionedwith its projection 34 in the slot 40, the braces 20 may be positionedwith their projections 48 in their openings 60 and with projections 46in the openings 54.

The deck 12 also has a pair of openings 62 which are spaced apart adistance equal to the spacing between the openings 60 and whichcooperate with the slot 42 for the reception of a wall 18 and a pair ofbraces 20 in a manner similar to the cooperation between the slot 40 andthe opening 60. Further, the deck 12 has a pair of openings 64 spacedapart a distance equal to the spacing of the openings 58 and 60 andwhich cooperate with the slot 44 in a manner similar to the cooperationbetween the openings 58 and the slot 38 in supporting a wall 18 and apair of braces 20 therefor.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the openings of the deck 12and walls 18 in which the brace projections 46 and 48 are inserted willdepend upon the slots 38, 40, 42 or 44 in which the projection 34 ofeach wall 18 is inserted. It is to be pointed out that the deck may beprovided with a various number of slots corresponding in function to theslots 38, 40, 42 and 44. Said four slots are merely illustrative of onepossible arrangement for accommodating different sized items to beshipped.

It will be apparent that, during shipment or storage of the pallet inwhich an engine or the like is not positioned thereon, the walls 18 andbraces 20 may be laid flatly on the deck 12. This, of course, permitsthe shipment and storage of the pallet so that it occupies a minimumamount of space. This ability of the pallet to be disassembled forshipment and storage is highly advantageous and can result insubstantial cost savings.

It should be pointed out that the projections 46 and 48 of the braces 20are of circular cross section. The formation of these projections isaccomplished by means of a shaper tool. It is possible, of course, thatthe side edges of the projections 46 and 48 may be somewhat flattened.In other words, the projections may have a diameter slightly greaterthan the thickness. of the braces 20, in which event the circular shapeof the projections would be somewhat modified. This shape permits thevarious openings of the deck 12 and walls 18 in which they are 4 fittedto be formed by drilling. Of course, if such openings are formed byother means, such as die forming,

different shapes would be practical. In any case the projections 46 and48 are designed to be tightly fitted within the openings in which theyare received, thus minimizing any tendency of such projections to comeout of their openings. Furthermore, it will be noted that the projection46 is located intermediate the length of the edge 50 and that theprojection 48 is located intermediate the length of the edge 52. By thismeans any tendency of the brace 20 to rock within its plane will nothave as great a tendency to pull the projections 46 and 48 out of theiropenings as would be the case if such projections were located at theends of such walls remote from the intersection of the edges 50 and 52.

For the purpose of distinguishing them from the various openings adaptedto receive the projection 48, the openings defining the slots 38, 40, 42and 44 will be referred to as slots in the claims. Unless otherwiselimited, however, the word slot is intended to mean an opening of anyshape such as circular, square, rectangular, or elongated. In otherwords, the word slots is not to be limited to an elongated openingunless a contrary intention is expressed.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated herein iswell calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be apparentthat the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and changeWithout departing from the fair meaning or scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shipping pallet including a deck having at least three slots andtwo openings formed therein, said deck openings being associated with apair of said slots, two vertical walls supported on said deck, one ofsaid walls having a projection adapted to be fitted in a selected one ofsaid pair of slots, said one wall having a pair of openings therein, andsaid wall openings being offset from one another in a directionlengthwise of said wall, said deck openings being spaced apart in adirection parallel to the length of said wall, each of said deckopenings being located laterally opposite one of said wall openings andsaid deck openings being spaced identical distances from different onesof said slots and a brace adapted to support said one wall and havingprojections adapted to fit in a given laterally opposite pair of saidwall and deck openings depending upon which of said pair of slots saidone wall has its projection fitted in.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, in which said deck has four slotsformed therein and in which said walls may be positioned with theirprojections fitted in any selected pair of said walls.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, in which said deck has aplurality of openings each of which is associated with one of said slotsand laterally spaced from its associated slot a uniform distance.

4. The structure set forth in claim 1, in which said wall projectionsand slots are elongated in the direction of the length of said wall.

5. The structure set forth in claim 1, in which said brace has a pair ofperpendicular edges engaging said deck and said upright wall and inwhich the projections of said braces are located intermediate the lengthof said edges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 3,128,725 4/1964 Becker, et al2298 X 3,295,673 1/1967 Bowe 206-52 3,315,800 4/1967 Wagner 206-46CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner.

